First off if you guy are new. In Ubbntu you have to install the restricted files first to play dvd's ie... libdvdcss2 and win32 codecs. In Mint it will play dvd's right out of the box. You can use synaptic package manager and search for ubuntu-restrictd-extras and install it and then it should play dvd's. Vlc should work right out of the box in Mint.